Podcasts

Battling Inequality Through Words

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Episode 63: Battling Inequality Through Words
Guest: Kelly Shikany

Welcome back to the Women Rocking Wall Street Show! This week’s guest was spurred to contact me when she heard the Women Rocking Wall Street episode where I had the pleasure of interviewing Kathleen Burns Kingsbury about embracing being a female and not being afraid to ‘ski like a girl.’ As someone who has held different positions in the financial industry, Kelly Shikany is familiar with being the only female at the table and is now working to change public perceptions around women and finance.

Kelly’s first experience with gender inequality occurred while she was working at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Although she loved her job (in the late 80’s) it was not a female friendly workplace. Treated differently by colleagues as well as clients (some weren’t even interested in hearing a women’s voice), Kelly accepted both at the time because of the experience she was gaining. Kelly was aware what was going to happen and accepted it because she wanted the experience. However, today Kelly is glad to see that there has been substantial progress when it comes to women’s rights and has made it her mission to help mentor the next generation.

As a Financial Advisor at Lakeside Wealth Management, Kelly now has the pleasure of working with clients from across the United States. She spends her time building women’s confidence on their financial investments while battling the conception that women aren’t able to understand money. There have been many times where she has been sitting in a boardroom where complex concepts are being discussed and the presenter has said, “I’ll make it so easy that your mom will understand.” Whenever this happens, Kelly takes the time to speak to the presenter about not singling out women or using gender pronouns. It’s important to raise awareness so that the next generation has more confidence and doesn’t have to battle the gender issues.

For any women looking at getting into the financial industry, Kelly recommends joining the CFP mentorship program, known as WIN-to-WIN, which strives to build up female advisors. Also, don’t be afraid to share your knowledge and network so that there can be more females in the industry. If you would like to learn more about the work being done for women within the CFP program, tune into the Women Rocking Wall Street episode with Eleanor Blayney. If you would like to learn more about Kelly, you can connect through Lakeside Wealth Management’s Facebook and Twitter account.

Thank you for listening. If you liked what you heard, please write us a quick review on iTunes and share this with others whom you think might find it interesting or valuable.

Proving Them Wrong

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Episode 32: Proving Them Wrong
Guest: Jeanne Fisher

Hello again! I hope you’re having a great week and feeling happy and inspired. This week’s guest is truly a woman who is rocking Wall Street. Jeanne Fisher is a Certified Financial Planner with ARGI Financial Group and an ambassador for the CFP Board. A true believer in education, Jeanne has her CFP, a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Economics and a Masters in Business Administration. She is also one of the first female Certified Financial Planners in Bowling Green, K.Y.

Upon graduating, Jeanne found herself applying for positions in the financial industry as a 22-year-old female. Instead of receiving job offers, she was told to sell cell phones and apply for the job again in 5 years. In one interview, she was offered a secretarial position, even considering all her credentials. While Jeanne faced one negative response after another, her internal mantra of “I’ll prove you wrong” motivated her to continue. Needless to say, she proved them all wrong.

For the women just starting their careers in finance, Jeanne says that it’s going to be harder than you ever thought it was going to be, but it’s worth it. She recommends that you find a mentor or senior advisor who can help you create a client base as well will help you grow as an advisor. If you can find that person, then you’ll be set. Remember too, you can prove everyone wrong if you set your mind to your goals. Dedication, passion, and perseverance make success taste even sweeter.

Thanks for listening to this episode of Women Rocking Wall Street. Be sure to share this podcast with your friends and colleagues. Also, head over to iTunes and write a quick review if you liked what you heard. Increased reviews help increase the visibility of this podcast, which means more listeners (more listeners, more impact!)

Planning to Be a CFP

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Episode 30: Planning to Be a CFP
Guest: Eleanor Blayney

Hello there, and welcome back to Women Rocking Wall Street. A couple weeks ago, I spoke with Renee Amochaev about her fight for gender equality on Wall Street. And this week, I’m continuing the theme and encouraging women out there to research the opportunities that a career in financial planning can bring. Well, who better to speak about this topic than Eleanor Blayney, author of “Women’s Worth: Finding Your Financial Confidence.” In addition to being an author, Eleanor is a CFP and consumer advocate for the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.

In 2013, the CFP Board launched Women’s Initiative (WIN). Under the leadership of Nancy Kistner, then chair of CFP Board’s board of directors, WIN conducted research about why there are so few women in financial planning—the number has remained flat at 23% for several years. Based on the research, the WIN Advisory Panel released a white paper called “Making More Room for Women In the Financial Planning Profession.” The research found that, compared with men, women are much less familiar with the financial planning profession and the requirements for CFP certification. And when it comes to financial advisers who do not have CFP certification, 39% of men said they would “definitely or probably” pursue it, compared with 23% of women.

If you’re a CFP who wants to tell women more about this exciting career, consider becoming a WIN Advocate and spreading the word. By sharing your story with your community, you can make the profession more attractive to women. Please visit this link for more information about becoming a WIN Advocate. Every action we take like this can help close the gender gap!

If you have a passion for helping others, I would encourage you to explore a career in financial planning. As Eleanor says, it’s not all numbers, sales and production—it’s a career that calls for creativity, relationship skills, communication and an interesting in helping people achieve their goals. Sounds pretty nice, right?

Thanks for listening, and as always, please head to iTunes and tell us what you think about the episode. And share this podcast with friends and family! Until next time.